Removal of Care Cases

180 mile commute to respite centre

A group of 67 families sought help from their local Law Centre
when faced with the closure of their local residential respite
unit. The local authority's suggested alternatives were over 180
miles from their homes and as many of these families live in
difficult circumstances, often with a single parent, this was not
feasible.

The Law Centre prevented the closure of the centre pending a
judicial review into how the decision was reached. The case
currently continues, with the families seeking proper consultation
of the impact of the closure on their children and their own lives
and what alternatives could be sought.

Missing application leads to loss of benefits

AF arrived in the UK a few years ago after fleeing persecution
in his home country. He claimed asylum and was granted a limited
amount of leave to remain in the UK. Before his leave ran out he
applied for further leave to remain. However, there was a mix up at
the Home Office and they claimed they had not received his
application. When he had been awarded leave to remain in the UK he
had been granted permission to work. He was also allowed to claim
benefits to help him pay for food and rent.

After his leave ran out his benefits stopped. This meant that he
could not afford to pay his rent and he was evicted from his home
for rent arrears. He was forced to live on the streets. He also
became ill very quickly and eventually ended up in hospital around
a year later. He was diagnosed with a long-term illness and he was
also suffering from severe depression because of the situation.
After a few weeks the hospital discharged him and referred him to
social services.

Social services refused to help, and so AF went to a charity and
they referred him to solicitors for help with his housing
situation. The solicitors wrote to social services threatening
court action unless they conducted an assessment and housed AF
until the assessment could be completed. Because of this social
services decided that AF was so ill that they would house him and
provide him with financial support. In time AF's health gradually
improved and he was able to move out of social services
accommodation into housing provided by the Home Office.